Meet Wang Enlin
I heard this story and wanted to share it.
It is highly inspiring and shows that one person can make a difference.
Wang Enlin is a farmer from China who is in his 60's has spent 16 years teaching himself law.
Why did he do this?
Mr Wang said he would always remember 2001. The year his land was flooded with toxic waste from the local chemical plant. It was the eve of the Lunar New year in Yushutun, a village on the outskirts of Qiqihar in the Heilongjian province. Mr Wang was making dumpling and playing card with his neighbours. All of a sudden, they realized the house they were in was being flooded by wastewater form the nearby Qihua group chemical plant.
Yushutun village on the outskirts of Qiqihar.
Mr Wang wrote a letter to the land Resourses Bureau of Qiqihar back in 2001 to complain about the pollution Qihua group had caused his village. He said while dealing with officals he was asked to produce evidence the villages land had been polluted. He told a reporter: "I knew i was right, but i didnt know the law or what law was broken or weather or not there was even evidence".
As a result, Mr Wang decided to take matter in his own hands and study law for himself. a persiut that would take him 16 years. The farmer who had dropped out of the 3rd grade, started reading law books with the help of a dicionary.
At the time he didnt have enough money to purchase the book so he spent his time, at the local book shop. day by day reading law book and taking relivant notes. In return he gave the shop owner bags of corns for letting him stay there.
He then went on the help his neibours gather evidence. There farms were also polluted.
A goverment report from 2001 stated that the affected farmland 'can not be used for a long time' due to pollution. Between 2001- 2016 it had been suggested that the Qihua group continued to dump hazardous waste into the village, whose residents rely on agriculture to make a living.
The report states that Qihua Group has released 15,000 to 20,000 tons of toxic waste every year.
Qihua group has also reportedly created a 71-acre wasteland with calcium carbide residue and a 478-arce pond for its liquid waste.
In 2007, a law firm specializing in pollution related cases started providing free legal advice to Mr Wang and his neibours. They also helped the villagers file a petition to the court. 8 years after the petition had been made the court started processing the case.
Thanks to mr Wang and the 16 years of collecting evidence, the court ruled in favour of the families of Yushutun village. The families would recieve finacial compensation from Qihua group.
Qihua has appealed against the court's decission. The case is still ongoing.
A determined Mr Wang told reporters ' We will certainly win. Even if we lose, we will contiune to battle.
This man who is a true inspiration. Its a great example of how if we all take reponability we can make a differnce.